ORLANDO, Fla. – Tournament Most Outstanding Player Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi won a straight-set decision at No. 3 singles – one of three straight-set singles wins – to lead UCF to a 4-0 win against USF Saturday afternoon in the final of the American Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Championship at the USTA National Campus.
 
The top-seeded Knights won their first American title in men’s tennis, knocking off the third-seeded Bulls, who had won 19 of their 20 matches in the tournament’s seven-year history entering Saturday.
 
UCF, which is ranked No. 11 nationally, extended its winning streak to 13 matches and secured The American’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.
 
Saturday’s win capped an outstanding tournament showing for UCF, which won both of its matches by 4-0 scores against nationally ranked opponents. The Knights began tournament play with a shutout of No. 33-ranked Wichita State Friday before Saturday’s victory against the No. 29 Bulls.
 
Grassi Mazzuchi went 2-0 in singles play during the tournament, dropping only eight games in a pair of straight-set victories on his way to Most Outstanding Player honors. Mazzuchi was a 6-2, 6-2 winner at No. 3 Saturday to give UCF a 3-0 lead in the race to four team points.
 
Trey Hilderbrand clinched the team win with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles and paired with Bogdan Pavel for a 6-3 decision at No. 1 doubles.
 
UCF had gained an early 1-0 lead in the doubles round with wins at No. 1 and No. 3.  Alan Rubio and Kento Yamada clinched the point with a 6-3 victory at No. 3.
 
The Knights quickly made it 2-0 with Mikhail Sokolovskiy’s 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles, and Grassi Mazzuchi followed moments later with his win.
 
 
 
2021 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 22-24 | USTA National Campus | Orlando, Florida
 

First Round | Thursday, April 22
No. 5 Wichita State 4, No. 4 Memphis 3
No. 3 USF 4, No. 6 Tulsa 2
No. 7 SMU 4, No. 2 Tulane 1
Semifinals | Friday, April 23
No. 1 UCF 4, Wichita State 0
USF 4, SMU 2
Final | Saturday, April 24 | ESPN+
USF 4, USF 0

 
 
 
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, UCF